A BILL to amend and reenact §5A-1A-4 of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to increasing the maximum cash
award the Employee Suggestion Award Board may make; requiring
the board to report to the Legislature every five years
regarding effect of inflation; and allowing the Governor to
make a secondary award for suggestions if the suggestion is
implemented in one or more additional state agencies.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That §5A-1A-4 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:

ARTICLE 1A. EMPLOYEE SUGGESTION AWARD PROGRAM.

§5A-1A-4. Awards.

(a) The maximum cash award approved shall beis limited to
twenty percent of the first year's estimated savings, as
established by the head of the affected spending unit, or ten
thousand dollars$16,000, whichever is less. AnyA cash award
approved by the board shall be charged by the head of the affected
spending unit against the appropriation item or items to which suchthe estimated savings apply.

(b) Beginning in December 2015 and every five years after
that, the board shall submit a report to the Joint Committee on
Government and Finance containing:

(1) The amount the maximum award amount would need to be
adjusted to compensate for inflation; and

(2) Its recommendation, if any, addressing the amount the
maximum award amount should be changed.

(1) Increase the maximum cash award the Employee Suggestion
Award Board may make for an individual award to $16,000;

(2) Require the board to report to the Legislature every five
years the amount the maximum award amount would need to be adjusted
to compensate for inflation and give its recommendation, if any,
addressing the amount the maximum award amount should be changed;
and

(3) Allow the Governor to make a secondary award of up to
$5,000 for suggestions the board has approved if the suggestion is
implemented in one or more additional state agencies.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.